Love Triangle Six Books of Torn Desire - Willow Winters Page 0,338

back, and he will never know the truth about his parentage, and you’ll keep your place here, your status. Your allowance.” I wonder if this last one isn’t all that matters to her.

She grins. “What about Gregory? Have you thought about what he wants? What he’ll do once Ethan is out of the picture? You think he won’t contest the fact that she’s not a virgin? That you’re not technically firstborn. That you broke the rules? He’ll have you disinherited before you can profess your love to that whore.”

“What the fuck do you know about love?” The huskiness in my voice surprises me.

“Hit a nerve, did I? You’re so easy. As easy as your whore.”

“What are you talking about, Lucinda?”

She ignores my question, goes to the window, and pushes the curtain aside with one long, bony finger, one corner of her mouth curving upward. She then turns to me.

“One time,” she says, “I’ll make the deal with you. Take Ethan off the island. Away from this place. But he gets to have her once. One time. You can even dictate which hole he fucks.”

I’m on my feet, hands fisted at my sides. I stalk over to her. She backs up, but that look in her eyes, the one that screams victory, it mocks me, and I can’t fucking stand it. Can’t stand her. I close my hand around her throat and shove her against the wall.

“He doesn’t lay a single finger on her. Not one.”

She smiles, even as her eyes redden, bulge, my hand squeezing her scrawny neck.

“Your hate makes you ugly, Lucinda. Makes you old. An old, jealous bitch.”

She’s got her hands on my forearm now, is trying to drag me off. She’s struggling for breath. I give one more squeeze before releasing her, watching her sputter and cough.

“You have twenty-four hours to decide before I tell Ethan he’s a bastard.”

“You’re just like your father. You fell for that whore like he did his. You let your Willow Girl come between your family, just like he did. I’ll smile when they carve out the name on your stone, right next to his. Next to your dead brother.”

“You’re a pathetic old woman,” I say, walking out.

“Don’t you dare walk out on me!”

I slam the door shut behind me, her words clawing at me, stalking me. Lucinda is a force to be reckoned with. This isn’t over. I know that. It’s not over by a long shot.

I go to Helena’s room, knock once. It’s more of a banging with my fist. “Helena. You in there?”

Nothing. I open the door, but the room’s empty. I try the bathroom, knocking again, but finding it, too, empty. Using the connecting door, I go to my room. Maybe she went there. But she isn’t here either.

“Helena?”

I hear the engine of the boat and rush to the window and I see Helena run toward it, watch her board. See the two figures on the boat.

“Helena!”

I turn, run for the door, but see the discarded letter on the floor. I bend to pick up the familiar note from her sister with her aunt’s obituary inside.

Lucinda did this. Lucinda gave it to her.

I crush it in my hand and am about to get up when Lucinda reappears in the doorway.

“I told you not to fucking walk away from me.” She stalks to me as I stand, and I hear the clicking before I see the gun she raises in her hand. Aims.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”

I see the rage on her face, and I charge toward her, almost reaching her before she pulls the trigger.

Almost.

A flash of light and a burning pain stuns me. I stumble once, twice, but somehow, I’ve got hold of her wrist and when I fall, she’s falling too, and the gun goes off again and my shoulder burns.

I topple on top of her but a minute later, she shoves me off. I watch her rise to her feet, look down at me, and when I reach to touch my shoulder, warm liquid covers my hand.

“Lucinda,” I start, trying to raise myself up through the pain, but something hits me on the back of my head. It feels like someone’s slammed a brick against it.

I blink, try to force my eyes to stay open, but fall backward and all I feel is pain and all I see is black and all I hear is the sound of Lucinda’s footsteps running out of the room and I’m left with my thoughts and